As publishers vie to persuade us to pack their titles for the holidays, we chart the evolution of the ’beach read’Summer reads, beach reads, holiday reads … at this time of year, the publishing world works itself into a sweat trying to force its novels into our carry-on luggage, or over the ether on to our Kindles. There are more books sold in the summer than during any other season: the well-established publishing calendar tends to see hardbacks released in the autumn to be given as gifts at Christmas, then repackaged as paperbacks in late spring. As Donna Harrington-Lueker sets out in her history of the beach read, Books for Idle Hours, the summer publishing rush is at least a century old, and has typically aimed “airy and froth-like” books on “young ladies” (the quote is from an 1888 work on summer books by Arlo Bates). The summer fiction market is changing, though, with more and more “serious”, “literary” novels showing up where once there were only thrillers and crime novels, bonkbusters and romances. So it is that Normal People by Sally Rooney is currently piled high on the tables of WH Smith’s Travel alongside Lee Child, Jodi Picoult and Bernard Cornwell.I’m aware of how contentious and porous discussions of genre can be. Generic labels, though, are the terms that booksellers and publishers think in and for literary novels, the chances of summer success are still relatively slim. Tom Tivnan, managing editor of the Bookseller, points to Nielsen BookScan data that... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2019-07-14 07:00:23 UTC ]
GT Karber’s book of challenges beats Richard Osman’s The Last Devil to Die and Guinness World Records to top spotThe murder mystery puzzle book Murdle by US writer GT Karber has climbed the UK bestsellers chart to become this year’s Christmas No 1 book, beating Richard Osman’s The Last Devil to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-12-20 14:30:03 UTC ]
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The publishing world made plenty of news in 2023, but not only because of the books themselves Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2023-12-08 14:55:07 UTC ]
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Monty Python, blasphemers: When the culture wars came for a little film called Life of Brian. | Lit Hub Film & TV “Moderation did not win the public’s favor.” How hot beverages became all the rage in 18th-century Britain. | Lit Hub History Debbie Urbanski urges novelists to think about AI... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-08 11:30:19 UTC ]
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Let’s imagine, for the purpose of this essay, that the following statement is true: An AI writes a novel. Actually, forget about the imagining. This is already happening. Today’s AIs—large language models (LLMs) specifically, like GPT-4—can write. If you’ve glanced at the headlines this year,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-08 09:51:43 UTC ]
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PW looks back at the library stories that captivated the publishing world this year, and what they portend for 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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75 Notable Translations 2023, by Michelle Johnson Lit Lists [email protected] Mon, 12/04/2023 - 15:13 In an interview up at the Booker Prizes, 2023 International Booker Prize–winning translator Angela Rodel describes the work of author and... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-12-04 21:13:28 UTC ]
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Since the publication of his first novel in 1999, Colson Whitehead has become one of the most lauded, prized, taught, and studied American novelists writing today. Winner of the National Book Award, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize (the only writer apart from William Faulkner and John... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-21 09:40:53 UTC ]
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The author of the “Slow Horses” series says he relates more with failures. With millions of books sold and the third season of the series airing next month, he may have to wrap his head around success. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-19 10:00:58 UTC ]
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Novelists and poets, Bernardine Evaristo, Jeanette Winterson, Stephen Marche and others, consider the threats and thrilling possibilities of artificial intelligenceChatGPT seems to have blindsided us all. In less than a year it has proved that it can make writers redundant, which is one of the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-11-11 09:00:30 UTC ]
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A crop of new nonfiction books, all out this coming week, explore the lives and legacies of trailblazing women around the world, from artists and activists to novelists and scientists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘Certainly this kind of thing just happened sometimes – it was a glitch, an unfortunate error, and could happen to anyone.’ – Rostrum The post Eley Williams appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 16:21:36 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘It dawned on her, the fact sliding ice-cold into her body; now that she had crossed the border into her forties, Alma herself was no longer eligible for the scheme.’ – The Termite Queen The post Olivia Sudjic appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 16:15:22 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘She rings a tiny cymbal over your body. She says, The experience is finished now.’ – Best Last Minute Spa Deal for Under £40 The post Yara Rodrigues Fowler appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 15:37:27 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘I don’t remember his face, nor him as a whole.’ – Kweku The post Derek Owusu appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 14:58:42 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘If Wales win tonight, everything will turn out okay.’ – Wales The post Thomas Morris appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 14:51:57 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘He was grumpy in a way that I enjoyed. It reassured me that he was easily displeased – he was discerning, I thought.’ – Circles The post Anna Metcalfe appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 14:45:13 UTC ]
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Best of Young British Novelists 2023 ‘The monstrous years of my late teens lay lined up alongside the rest of my life like bullets in a gun.’ – Theories of Care The post Sophie Mackintosh appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2023-10-25 14:39:37 UTC ]
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Ananda Devi Wins the 2024 Neustadt Prize News and Events [email protected] Tue, 10/24/2023 - 18:02 Ananda Devi, winner of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Photo by J. F. Paga, courtesy of GrassetNORMAN, OKLA. (Tuesday, October 24,... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-10-24 23:02:22 UTC ]
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This letter was originally published by ArabLit. The shocking and tragic events that began on October 7th and are ongoing today have had repercussions all over the globe, including within the publishing world. Award-winning Palestinian author Adania Shibli, who was a finalist for the 2020... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-17 09:05:58 UTC ]
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The SA Book Awards program bases its shortlist on the bestseller date of Nielsen BookScan in a program now 23 years old. The post Winners in the South Africa Book Awards: Voted for by Booksellers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-10-05 17:18:44 UTC ]
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